St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-10-01
COOPERATION.
Some Brief Extracts from the Meeting
Of the z. of L. Board.
THE sEsRETARY's REPORT
An Outline of the Progress of Coop
Grafton In the United
States.

The general cooperative board of the
knights of Labor met yesterday morning
at the West, Minneapolis, and was called
toorder by President Il. c. Schleber, of
Lynn, Mass, who made brief address
in which he said he hoped the board
would outline more vigorous policy for
Its future conduct. Cooperation, he
thought, would benefit the workingmen
OF America more than any other move
ment, if conducted upon businesS-like
principles, In the afternoon Hugh
Cameron, of Lawrence, Kan, delivered
an address, of which the following is a
brief abstract:
When / look at the West hotel and
this city in which we are assembled and
consider that the industrious poor people
Dullt them, and all the hotels and cities the
railroads, and other magnificent establish
Ishments in our Columbia, best land of the
free and brightest home of the brave, am
somewhat perplexed and little disguised at
the comparative leanness of the builders
The Christ-like simplicity and patience of
the lower million" who till the soil, fell the
forests and dig the mines: their meekness,
generosity ana long-suffering forbearance,
their abnegation and love of their enemy.
fully establish the claim stuck up for them
by that grand old patriot and statesman. the
sage of Monticello, 4 to wit: That they are
depository for substantial and genuine vir-
tue, and IN whose breasts He keeps alive the
sacred fire which would otherwise escape
from the face Of the earth. Gentlemen, as
dwell upon their condition, and the wonder
full things achieved by their labor, / am re-
minded that God is able to take care
of his chosen people. and also that he occa-
sionally exemplifies his righteous indigna-
ton for the doings of the child Numbering
Herods and the Christ killing rent takers,
usurers, fee takers. 'boodlers' ct al But, al
though our divine master workman is omnip-
otent and omnlsclent. we are not permitted
to be Indifferent or unfaithful to the trust
committed to our keeping. There are some
questions intimately related to human life
and employment which the useful classes
have not sufficiently considered and which
the ornamental gentlemen of our country are
inclined wholly to ignore. That we are living
under system of capitalistic ACKNOWLEDGMENT
which has no parallel in the history of the
race is as apparent in Minneapolis as in Chi
cago or New York. This the wayfaring man
who is not a fool and this cooperative board
should carefully consider Commercial
monarchism, although inconsistent with the
spirit of Yankee Doodle and the genius of
our glorious Yankee nation, is the idol to
which the average Yankee of to-day seems
to be bowling. The presence of capitaliStic
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT or commercial monarchism
in our country is not only denied but seems
to be approved and admired by many, and
yet no one will venture to claim for it that
ions to enrich the covetous few is III accord
ance with the orderly evolution of well regrl-
lated society, or in harmony with just
competitive system and the natural
law of trade. We have impor
tations of European cheap labor, importa-
tons OF European appetiteS,, fashions and
customs, and also importatons of the thought
of European radicals, communists, nhiiists,
ETC., with suggestions of revolution and meas
ures of reform ranging from anarchism on
the one side TO the entire control of all social
industry on the other. Against all of which
a high protective tariff might be in the high
est degree beneficial, might improve our
prospects for peace and prosperity and the
complete realization and fulhllment of the
doctrines of American independence
There is a relation between our mother the
earth. and her children who till the soil, fell
the forests and dig the mines: as American as
it natural and which should be well under
stood by this cooperative board. There is a
lava higher law than class legislation
which if properly observed would secure an
equitable share of the products of industry
to each who shares the labor. law which
this board ought to discover and promulgate
There is a just principle of agreement and
consent in regard to production and division
and everything that affects production and
division which must be enjoyed and exer-
ciSed by all of average morals and mature
and sound minds-and on that just principle
of agreement and consent this board should
stand.